Clinical Reasoning in the use of Slings for Patients with Shoulder Subluxation After Stroke: A Glimpse of the Practice Phenomenon in California

Occupational therapists frequently use shoulder slings for the management of post-stroke shoulder subluxation despite the low evidence for its efficacy. One hundred and sixty-eight Occupational Therapists in California responded to a survey regarding the occurrences and clinical reasoning in the use of shoulder sling with patients post stroke.

The survey was designed to answer 4 primary questions:

What is the occurrence of the use of shoulder sling in the post-stroke occupational
therapy practice across the clinical settings?

What is the clinical reasoning for using the shoulder sling?

What types of sling are commonly used in the post-stroke occupational therapy practice?

What is the clinical reasoning for the selection of the particular sling?

The published study indicated that “practitioners with additional [post-stroke rehabilitation] trainings demonstrated … higher reliance on procedural reasoning” in their use of shoulder slings (p. 42). The study concludes that the ” procedural reasoning pattern was more prominent in selecting the GivMohr sling” (p.44).